What Makes a Family, Anyway?
by Fluteanime11
Summary: Jack hasn't thought about his parents- the people that raised him- in years, but now his dad's standing in front of him, yelling at him again, and he can't do anything to stop it. But maybe his new family can.-Jack Daniels story, with a cute ending, cause it'd break my heart to have things be too horrible.


Hey! This is another prompt I've gotten, again, feel free to send me any prompts that you may have, I'm always eager to write, and if I can write about something that you want to read about, why that's just that much better! This was the prompt- **Jack gets badly beat up and Danny gets super protective. For this I was originally thinking that Jack would pickpocket the wrong person, but after your most recent fic (His One Heart) I was thinking that a different way to go would be that due to Jack's sudden fame, his dad finds him and proceeds to beat the crap out and the rest of the Horsemen intervene in an avenging angel style, protecting their youngest. Danny kisses the boo-boos better**. - Warnings and disclaimers: Some violence, swearing, things of that nature. There's also some gay slurs. Some drunkenness and this is a Jack/Daniel story- Obviously it's a gay pairing. I don't own NYSM or the characters. (Let me tell you now, violence isn't my strong suit. I'll try with the conflict and action, but I won't promise that it'll be spectacular.) Read and review!

* * *

The Horsemen had been together for 11 months, almost a full year, and their popularity had exploded after they came to Arthur Tressler. If only he knew that in less than a month they'd be throwing him under the bus. The things they did for The Eye.

Jack was loving all of the attention he'd been getting, fans were everywhere in Vegas and he couldn't go anywhere without being recognized, not that he minded. Who would mind going from an abusive, rundown, alcoholic home in Brooklyn to a penthouse suite in Vegas? Not him, that was sure.

Jack had actually gone the last few months without thinking of his… father. If the man that abused you, yet just happened to be the maker of the sperm you came from counted as a father. Jack considered him his abuser, and if he had to give him a specific name, it was Mark. Never dad, never father. Just Mark.

He'd gone even longer without thinking of his… Janet. The woman who gave birth to him. The woman that became too preoccupied with her meth, crack, heroine, whatever drug she could get her hands on, to care whenever Mark would hit and yell at him. When she was coherent enough to notice the abuse, she would say that Jack shouldn't blame Mark; he was simply an angry drunk. Mark couldn't help it. Apparently being sober wasn't a thought that crossed her mind.

Jack reminded himself that he didn't need them. He'd been doing fabulously without them. He was nineteen, about to be twenty. He'd been without them for almost seven years, and he was being initiated into The Eye. If only they could see him now. Mark would always say that Jack was a useless boy, that he would amount to nothing. At the moment, Jack was worth about 1 million euros, if they split the money evenly. Way more than nothing.

"Jack, where should we go tonight? It's your turn to choose." Jack perked up, ripping himself from his thoughts at Henley's voice. They had decided that they would each take turns choosing where to eat during the week, Friday would be a group decision, and Saturday and Sunday were personal days, to each his own. Seeing as it was Thursday, Jack got to choose.

"How about Darlene's? It's small, has good food, and it's cheap." Jack's voice was unsure; he'd honestly just picked the first place that popped into his head. He glanced around meeting Daniel's eyes; they seemed to be sparkling as Daniel winked at him, in his confusion he must have said something right.

"Sounds good." Daniel's voice seemed to break everyone of their stupor, taking control of the situation. Merritt and Henley nodded and walked to the door, grabbing their jackets. Jack gently lifted himself from the couch he'd been sitting on, still shaking his head of his thoughts.

"Henley, you and Merritt can go on ahead. Jack and I will catch up." Henley nodded, not really listening to Daniel's words, just understanding that she and Merritt wouldn't have to wait. Merritt started telling some story as they walked out the door, some guy he'd tricked at one point or another. Jack and Daniel stood in a slightly uncomfortable almost-silence for a few seconds, the only sound being the ruffling as Jack moved his hands in and out of the pockets in his leather jacket.

"Jack, what were you thinking about?" Daniel's voice was straight to the point, offering no room for Jack to make up an excuse.

"I was just thinking about some new tricks." Daniel didn't look very amused at Jack's lie.

"Mark and Janet… I was thinking about Mark and Janet." Jack's voice was barely above a whisper and he refused to meet Daniel's eyes. Daniel just took Jack's hand in his own, pulling him to the door. He sighed, Jack didn't think about his family often, but when he did things were always tense. He wouldn't let his sleight fret over things in the past when they had such a bright future ahead of the.

"Let's get going. Henley and Merritt are waiting. Didn't you say something about cheap and delicious food?" Jack smiled slightly and Daniel's attempt to cheer him up.

"I don't think I used the word delicious." The smile in Jack's voice was infectious, causing Daniel to break out into a small grin. They walked out of their apartment and onto the street. They kept their hands clasped between them as they navigated the streets, taking a few turns until they ended up on a street in the older part of Vegas.

Daniel spotted Henley's bright red hair and went to pull Jack toward it when he realized that Jack's hand had gone limp, Jack just staring ahead.

Jack was internally flipping shit. He hadn't felt those eyes on him since… Wait, he made himself take a deep breath, there was no way he was here. He hadn't seen him in years, wouldn't see him for years to come.

"Jack, earth to Jack. Jackie… Jack Wilder. Jack Atlas…" Jack shook his head, coming out of his thoughts, smiling slightly at Daniel's last name being tacked onto his first.

"You okay?" Daniel seemed concerned; Jack had completely zoned out and had been unresponsive.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just got lost in thought." Jack tried to smile but could tell that Daniel knew he was withholding some information.

"There you guys are, Merritt is getting us a booth." Henley was standing a few feet away, motioning for them to walk to the door. They started walking forward, when they got to the door Jack leaned forward and kissed Daniel's cheek.

"You go on in, I just need some air." Daniel skeptically nodded, kissing Jack before going inside. Jack stood by the door for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. He hated feeling as helpless as he did now; he could tell that he was on the verge of a panic attack. He could feel Mark's eyes on him, the cold stare of someone that hated you. The only problem was that Mark had been out of his life for years; Mark couldn't be the one staring at him.

"So, you become famous and now you're a fag?" Jack stiffened. That voice. It was just as gravely and full of venom as it had been the day he left. Jack looked up; standing in front of him was a man with wrinkled skin and yellow, sunken in eyes. Mark obviously decided to join Janet in her drugs and he hadn't stopped drinking if the half empty bottle of liquor in his right hand was anything to go by.

"Mark." Jack was trying to keep the fear out of his voice; this was the man that put him in the hospital multiple times- if you looked at Jack's ribs you would see some irregular bumps from where Jack's ribs had been cracked and broken but Mark had been too drunk and Janet too cracked out to take him to the doctor so they healed incorrectly. This was the man that beat him.

"Why aren't you answering my question? Are you too big for that now? The fag goes and makes so much money but can't send any of it to his sick mother. You sicken me." Mark's voice was getting louder and Jack could tell that Mark would be hitting him soon.

"She isn't my mother." The words were whispered so quietly that Jack barely even heard them.

"Isn't your mother?! Now the fag's telling fucking lies! She raised your ungrateful ass! Do you know how heartbroken she was when you left? We didn't know where you were until your fucking face was plastered on a billboard. That really hurt her." Mark had seemed to calm slightly, but his twitching hands betrayed the sense of peace.

"Mark, you and Janet aren't my parents. You haven't been for a long time- you've never been my parents." This lit the fuse and Mark swung his fist forward, hitting Jack's jaw.

"You're just a jackass motherfucker. You're going to rot in hell!" By now Mark was hitting Jack in the face, ribs, and stomach, still muttering slurs with every hit. Jack just took it; he was regressing back to when he was a child. He'd learned quickly that if he just curled himself in and kept his eyes closed it would all be over soon. He'd lowered himself onto the concrete and tried to condense himself as Mark began kicking his stomach and ribs, his foot occasionally rebounding and hitting Jack's face.

As Mark circled him, Jack could hear some commotion- a crowd was gathering, not that Jack would open his eyes to try to see it. Now Mark was specifically aiming for his head, still yelling profanities. Jack braced himself, he could tell by the way that Mark was moving that the next kick would hit his nose. Jack squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation.

However, the next thing to touch Jack was Daniel's gentle hand. Merritt was standing over Mark, his fist clenched. Henley stood next to Merritt, her face contorted in anger. Daniel helped Jack to his feet, supporting his weight. Mark had a growing bruise on his jaw and he was stirring.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't get back up and you won't _**ever **_lay a hand on Jack ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Merritt's voice shook with anger and Mark propped himself up.

"So the fag has protectors?" That seemed to be the last straw for Henley, who had been idling stoically. She pulled a pair of hand cuffs out of god-knows-where and sharply pulled Mark's wrist forward, surely spraining it, before clasping one of the ends on his hand, the other around a pipe on the wall. She took her heeled boot and quickly snapped it forward, kicking Mark's stomach.

"No, actually. Jack has a family." She turned, still seething before motioning for Merritt, Daniel, and Jack to follow her.

"If any of you let this man go, and I will know if you do, trust me on that one, I swear you will wish that you were in hell compared with what I have in mind." Merritt's voice broke the crowd and they dissipated quickly. Daniel stopped and picked Jack up bridal style. The Horsemen walked back in silence, each still dripping with anger. When they reached their building, Daniel finally decided to break the uncomfortably tense silence.

"I'll take him up to the room and get him as cleaned up as I can. Will you guys go grab some extra bandages and pain killers? I'm not sure how bad his wounds are." Henley quietly nodded; Daniel never asked for anything, he always ordered, the fact that he was asking them to do something only attested to how concerned he was for Jack.

When Merritt, who still looked like he would slit the throat of the next person that moved, and Henley turned to leave, Daniel walked through the door, ignoring the worried voices of the hotel workers. He walked straight to the elevator then to their room. Once inside he gently set Jack down. The sleight had been unusually quiet on the way over and Daniel was growing increasingly worried, not that he would ever show it. Jack's eyes fluttered open and he let out a pained groan.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a bother." Daniel walked out of the living room, rolling his eyes as he grabbed the first aid kit and a wet towel. Of course Jack would blame it all on himself; he wouldn't see that this wasn't his fault.

Daniel walked back into the living room and helped Jack remove his leather jacket and once white t-shirt, which was now covered in dirt and blood. Daniel gently wiped the blood from Daniel's face and torso, revealing badly bruised skin. Jack's lip was swollen and his jaw had a nasty purple hue. One of his eyes was almost swollen shut and Daniel didn't even want to think about the rest of Jack.

"Honey, I need to take off your jeans." Jack made some kind of noise that Daniel took as a sign to proceed. Daniel gently removed Jack's boots and socks, then he had to resist his urge to blush as he unbuttoned Jack's jeans. Once Jack was left in only his boxers, Daniel felt like he could breathe a sigh of relief. From what he could tell, Jack didn't have any broken bones even though a large majority of his body was a shade of grey or purple.

Jack propped himself up with a small hiss of pain, his eyes clearer than they were earlier. He gently placed a palm to his face, feeling for where his face was swollen and bruised.

"You'll have that shiner for a few days, you won't be doing any stunts any time soon, and you definitely won't be getting out of bed within the next week." Jack rolled his eyes as much as he could, he most definitely didn't need to be babied by his boyfriend. Before Jack could voice his thoughts, Daniel was lifting him again, this time taking to their room. Once Jack was gently placed onto the bed Daniel removed his jacket and jeans, leaving him in a plain shirt and boxers.

"Daniel, what are you—" Jack was cut off by Daniel's lips on his forehead.

"Just… Just let me do this, okay?" Jack just nodded and laid back down. Daniel kissed each of Jack's eyes once they were closed, then went down his face, kissing his cheeks and chin. Daniel lifted himself up and gingerly straddled Jack. After waiting for a sound of protest or pain, Daniel continued, pressing his lips softly against Jack's shoulders then down each arm, stopping at the pulse point on each of Jack's wrists for a few seconds, nipping slightly at the veins before continuing down to kiss each fingertip.

The small bites caused small shivers to travel down Jack's spine. Soon Daniel was at Jack's abs, having kissed his way down the smaller man's chest. After kissing each individual ab, Daniel picked himself up and placed a feather light kiss against Jack's lips.

"Jack, what did he tell you?" Jack opened his eyes and looked down, he'd been trying to force the memory away. That's what he'd always do, try to suppress the memory, sometimes he was successful. If Jack was being honest, he couldn't remember anything form kindergarten or first grade, nor any birthdays, friends, or teachers. It was as if those years never existed. He preferred it that way.

"Some stuff, it wasn't important." That obviously wasn't what Daniel wanted to hear because he suddenly bit down on Jack's neck, making him gasp.

"What did he tell you?" Daniel had moved away again, putting a good few inches between them.

"He said I was a fag then told me about Janet, apparently she's sick. I started blocking a lot of it out." Daniel nodded before pulling Jack over to him, resting Jack's head on his chest. They laid there for a while, Daniel rubbing soothing circled on Jack's back. Once Jack's breathing had evened out Daniel sighed and decided that it would be safe for him to go to sleep too, but he didn't have any disillusions about how Jack actually was. He was sure that he'd been mentally disrupted and in the morning he'd have to rebuild his boyfriend. Not that he minded.

When Henley walked into their room thirty minutes later with peroxide and Tylenol, all she could do was smile; even with one of them black and blue, Jack and Daniel still made the cutest couple- the cutest family- she'd ever seen.

* * *

Thank you for reading! As always, please let me know how I did and if you have any new ides for me. :)


End file.
